Vivid
by Moon Witch '96
Summary: Months have passed since the events of Batman Begins, and it's nearly time for the events of the Dark Knight.Ava King, Tech junkie, lands a job in the Applied Sciences Division at Wayne International and holds a personal secret that can bring the criminal underbelly of Gotham to its knees. She's just what Batman needs.But can he save her as Bruce Wayne failed to before?Please R&R.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Sometimes she wondered if she had been born insane she thought, looking at the place she was currently in, shifting slightly hard leather chair she sat in. It was the place she had sworn to never return to, yet her she was, bold as brass and in Gotham city. Her fingers twitched and she licked her lips. The skyline she had left nearly seven years ago had changed little, the stark towering structures she saw in the floor length windows around her were the same dark and Gothic monsters that she had loved as a child. Currently the noon sun was casting huge, deep shadows that hide some of the shorter, older buildings, and gave a large contrast to the few newer, glass covered giants. The curling smog around the windows however, was something she hadn't missed since her time away. Watching as the yellow fog curled around the stain glass windows and stone gargoyles made her frown. When she had gotten off the charter bus, she had nearly choked on the pungent smell and the taste of it, but she had readily adjusted to the air of her childhood.

As the man in front of her looked down at her resume, shifting the crisp pages agonizingly slow, one Ava King fidgeted in her chair again, her black pumps(the only pair she owned), shinned in the brightly lite office of one Lucius Fox, CEO of Wayne International. She tapped her foot with her typical ADHDness, and she severally wished she hadn't forgotten her medicine when she had made her insane, impromptu dash across the state when Mr. Fox had called... Hell, she wished viciously that she hadn't been so stupid as to come back to the city of her birth in the first place. It was something that was dangerous, and it made her glance at the door every five minutes, and calculate how much force she would need to fight her way out of the office if need be...

But, as the older man in front of her gave a deep, sigh, closing the black stiff folder that held her resume, she bit back the urge to stand up, rip it from underneath his deeply veined hands and bolt to the nearest national bus station. His dark eyes were serious, and as he smiled at her, Ava felt herself flinch. She remembered that smile from back then, and she noted that Lucius Fox had not changed in her absence. He was the still the same kind old man that had made her hope that someone would notice the scared little girl being forced to walk by as he headed down the elevator to the basement.

"Well Miss King,your teachers from Metropolis University seem to think that your fit for a position in Applied Sciences, with you major in Technology and Engineering, and your minors in both Biochemistry and Computing, but the question is do you feel that you are?"he asked seriously, leaning forward, his hands coming up to hid his mouth where a another smile was surly hidden.

Ava, sighed slightly, wishing she could say yes. But she was fresh out of college, and this position in Wayne International was not one to laugh at. In the course of a year the somewhat laughable department it had been rumored to be(one that the man across from her had headed for nearly twenty years), Mr. Fox had made it into the most secretive and lucratively paid position in the company... One that was right up her alley, and she wanted desperately to get a peek at the toys and wonders the research division that the department had become. Currently, only two people had access to this department, the man across from her, and the man who owned everything. Bruce Wayne... The thought of the name made her cringe and she knew that she had made a huge mistake. She shouldn't have come. It had been stupid decision and she wasn't going to even get the job.

"No."she said it simply and ruefully, feeling like an idiot for risking both her life and dignity for going cross state to try and get in on her dream job. Her roommate was going to kill her, and she knew he could do it with ease.

"What makes yo say that?"he asked, genuinely curious.

"Because I'm young and without experience, the only thing I have worked at has nothing to do with biochemicals nor technology, unless you count being a waitress and a warehouse picker relevant to whatever the heck you actually do in Applied Sciences."she said it bluntly.

Lucius Fox let out a bark of laughter, and with that Ava got up and nodded, her smile rueful. That was her cue.

"It was amazing to meet you Mr. Fox, I won't waste anymore of your time."she said this pleasantly, and tried not to flinch at the fact that she had met Mr. Fox before... He just wouldn't know that, or connect her face to her thirteen year old self. Hell, she wouldn't have made the connection herself...

"Are you sure you wish to leave it at that Miss King?"he asked.

She nodded and smiled at the man, and shook his hand when he stood up, he walked her to the door, and simply walked out. Ava nearly collapsed as soon as the door closed. Her knees buckling, Ava took a deep breathe and smiled at the secretary, Jessica, as she passed. She walked as calmly as she could to the elevator, pushing her large and thick framed glasses up her nose, licking her lips. This had been a bad idea she thought, her large green eyes flickering between one of the various business men lingering on the top floor of Wayne Tower. They talked about nondescript things of business, and made her want to step in and mention that the turn of the market wouldn't exactly go as they plan, and that the bill passed by the senator would make that stock go dramatically down. She shook her head, and looked at the elevator, whiling the number to go up faster so she could leave... The businessmen soon started to head towards the elevator.

Most were familiar, she thought, tapping one of her pumps in impatience as she waited for her lift. Most of them she had known, and their aging faces made Ava want to run for the stairs, screw the fact that their were over a hundred floors up. She thought of her shoes, and how fast she could walk without attracting attention if she did go for their stairs. Hating the speed of the elevator, she headed for the stairs in a quick pace, feeling as if she was a cornered animal. Nodding to the men as she passed as if she had a place to go in the place she didn't work at.

What the _hell_ had she been thinking?

Ava hardly had enough time to take a breathe as she made it to the stair doors. Her stupid pumps soon were in her hand, and she tired desperately not to let the hot, stinging tears in her eyes fall. Each stride took her two steps down, and she made use of her long legs. She felt a hot, sicking feeling in her stomach, and as she went down Ava King couldn't help but think that she was thirteen again, running away from Gotham simply for the sake of living away from _him_. It wasn't until the seventieth or so floor before she slowed her rapid, breakneck pace at all. Even then she just measured her breathing as best as she could, and rushed downwards, wondering what the hell had possessed her to take such a risk... For something she wouldn't even get, no matter how much she wished she would get the job.

Ava found that she really didn't have an answer for that.

**000000000**

"So Mr. Wayne, what do you think?"asked a Lucius Fox, spinning around to smile to said Mr. Wayne.

Bruce Wayne did not smile as her emerged from the shadows of Lucius' office, a copy of the resume and background check on the desk in his calloused hands as he read over it carefully. His face instead was set in a thoughtful blank, and he studied the face in the photograph with nearly flame producing intensity. The young woman that barely looked eighteen in the photograph was actually twenty-four, he thought with faint disbelief. Ava King looked unreadable and serious though in the photograph, even with her striking light green eyes peeking at him from behind her thick, red frames with a pleasant light. They made him stare intently at them, as if they could tell him what he needed to know by gazing into her eyes. Her deep red hair was a stark contrast to her pale skin, and her small, thin mouth was in a shy smile. Overall she looked to be a shy, reserved person.

She had hardly sat still throughout the whole interview, though, as if she expected a madman to come in wielding a gun bursting into Lucius office at any moment. He wondered faintly if he would have given the girl a heart attack if he had popped out of the shadows... The whole 'I'm talking the CEO of Wayne International' atmosphere must have gotten to her, he thought remembering as she had partially bolted from the room as soon as she could. Even the calm, friendly waves that Lucius Fox produced couldn't have calm an all around nervous person, especially at an interview for such a good position in his company...

"Twitchy."he said simply with a small twitch of his lips, flipping the page to look at her recommendations. They were mostly short and to the point, nothing personal in any of them. All were very detached, but no one had a bad word to say about King.

"Quite."said Lucius with a small huff of laughter.

The more he looked, the more Bruce found that there really was not a bad comment in the resume, other than the fact that it stated King as unsocial to a fault, only really ever seen with her roommate, a man she had met in college... She was Gotham born it said, to one Neil and Franny King in the Narrows... They had died when the girl was eighteen, and her older sister, the thirty-four year old Vivian held a comfortable post in the Gotham Gazette, estranged. Or at least, Ava had not connected her sister for the nearly seven years she had been gone, and her sister hadn't either. She had no other close relations and had not contacted anyone in this city since she had left for Metropolis. Bruce could see why the girl had taken the out to go out of town, imaging the less than stellar life she must have experienced, Gotham was a tough town, especially in the Narrows, he knew this all too well... But what had brought her back?

"Top of her class, both teachers and co-workers agree that she's a good, hard worker, if a little anti-social. Almost secretive."said Lucius. He was smiling again, flipping through the pages, rereading what he must have read a million times. Bruce knew he himself had. He had done so with all of the nearly hundred of candidates.

"No close friends other than her roommate... This girl is..."said Bruce, looking intensely at the picture again.

"Someone who could become a major asset to the company."said Lucius, carefully closing her resume, turning to face his boss.

When Bruce Wayne looked over to him sharply, Lucius simply smiled, and leaned forward, hands on his mouth and elbows on his knees.

"A young woman with no lasting connections to anywhere, mostly isolated and competent with her work. Overall I believe that means that even if she did discover something about your... Adventures, she won't be able to tell anyone who would believe her. Besides Mr. Wayne, she was the only one who didn't try to kiss my derriere during the interview."he said, a little of his dry humor coming out at the end.

Bruce sighed. It seemed as if Mr. Fox had taken a liking to Miss King.

"I'll consider her then... After I introduce her to what she missed in Gotham."he said simply, placing the resume on Lucius' desk and making for the door.

"Try not to traumatize the girl."called Lucius after him.

Bruce Wayne simply waved over his back at him without turning. It's not as if he was going to swoop in as Batman and kidnap her to give his own version of an interview. He snorted at the thought, knowing his plan was much more benign than that. Traumatize indeed.


	2. Gotham Tracks

**Gotham Tracks**

When Ava King made it to the ground floor of Wayne Tower, she took a moment to collapse on the last stair step to regain her breathe. She felt her heart beating against her ribcage and she let out a slightly shaky laugh, knowing she hadn't ran like that in a long time. If she wasn't careful, she just might give herself cardiac arrest. The mad dash down the stairs had helped steady her nerves though, and she felt... Well, not really calm. She was never really calm, her mind had the tendency to leap from tangent to tangent quickly, and even without the needed stress of Gotham she was always twitchy because of her rather hyperactive brain... But she wasn't on edge anymore, and she wasn't a thirteen year old girl running for her life she thought with a sigh.

No, she was nineteen(nearly twenty) year old young woman posing as a twenty-four year old who had just graduated from college. Ava took another moment to breathe, checking her tote and grabbing the beat up chucks inside, along with her socks, and slipped them on, trying to steady her trembling fingers as she tied her laces. When that was done, she took another moment to wipe the tears out of the corners of her eyes, and took a deep, steadying breathe to stop the new dread at what she had just done.

She had just had the interview of a lifetime, and she had royally screwed it up.

"Fuck."said Ava. With a care, she carefully undid her elegant up-do, grabbing a spare pen from her tote and making a rather messy one its place, feeling relief from the painful tightness of the hairband.

Taking another steady breathe, she knew that it was maybe for the best, and that she shouldn't ever come within two hundred miles of Gotham City again, let alone live in it. Standing up from the last stair step, she untucked her silk shirt, removing it to reveal the black wife beater beneath, and she adjusted her slacks. She then walked calmly to the door, and slipped into the lobby. She changed her direction to make it look as if she had come from the elevators. No one gave her slightly less than professional appearance a second glance, and for that Ava was grateful. As soon as she was out of the lobby, Ava turned back to look back at the dizzying height of Wayne Tower. She couldn't really say it hadn't been a good thing to see it again. She only really regretted not being able to see the owner...

Though she was sure that she wouldn't have been able to contain herself from hugging the man, and crying her eyes out in his chest, which would have raised a few brows and even more questions. She took a moment more to look at the Tower, saying goodbye silently in her mind to the familiar gargoyles and the elegant glass that she had seen so many times when she had been a little girl... She remembered the way her father had clutched and dragged her away, and she remembered how much his grip had hurt her wrist...

She turned swiftly around, walking down the street with the flow of people, heading towards the nearest train station, her heart beating hard again, but this time because of both anxiety and a sense of excitement. She took this moment to just simply _feel _Gotham and distract herself from bad memories. It was a mess of dirt and grime, a steady beat of people weaving their way through the old, nearly dieing city, the complete opposite of Metropolis, which was new and shown with the promise of tomorrow, not of yesterday. But...

She never though she could feel so homesick, seeing Gotham again, and comparing it to the city in which she lived in currently... She realized that she had missed it, grime and all.

As she boarded the newly repair Gotham subway, she also couldn't help but feel like she was home, for the first time in nearly seven years... She took the first train that came into the station and went around the city, intent on seeing it one last time before she went to the bus station. Ava took out her sketch book when she sat down, and quickly made various adjustments of the train, trying to re-imagine the electrical system into a better, more efficient machine, and she made various sketches towards the seating, watching as various people packed in and for the most part stood in the rather cramped space... She paused in the middle of map more needed rail-lines, remembering hearing about the devastating accident that had destroyed it nearly a year ago, looking down at her nearly unconscious work. It was a habit that she had unfortunately picked up during her college days, and almost every piece of her own Tech, and her roommates were adapted and custom because of it. She snorted slightly, knowing that he had gave her hell for that, especially whenever she went on a crazy rampage of repairing and updating their Tech. Sometimes she felt as if she never gave her poor friend any peace. He already had enough things to deal with in Metropolis...

She placed her pencil down when a man sat next to her. She tried not to flinch, and sighed as she resumed her work, pencil flying. The man next to looked down at it from the corner of his blue eyes, and raised a scraggly brow, before furrowing both of his.

The girl had re-imagined Fox's latest designs.

Most of her sketches were exact to the train's overall general structure, but the finer details had been heavily adjusted, and if he read correctly, this girl could make the whole thing work like a better, fine tuned machine, at least in theory. Some of the finer notes of jargon was lost to him, and he made a mental note to ask Lucius. Her small, messy script was also nearly illegible, so he couldn't be sure what her notes meant exactly. She suddenly closed the book, and placed her pencil into her bun, along with the red pen that held it up. For a second he thought she was going to turn to him, and ask him to stop staring, but she ignored him, her small, long finger hands clutching at the corners of the leather-bond book tightly. and she looked up, and steadily out the window.

Bruce Wayne followed her gaze and watched the start of the Gotham Narrows fly by.

His eyes flickered back to her. Her light green eyes looked out at the Narrows with a soft, almost tender light, but he saw her jaw go tight, and her long fingered hands on the leather-bond book get tighter. Her sneaker clad feet practically vibrated as she tapped each foot, and he wondered if the young woman next to him was going to imploded. It seemed as if the she could never stand still, and maybe her twitching at the office hadn't been nerves. If her feet weren't moving it was her hands that twitched. Maybe she had an attention disorder he thought, making a note to check her medical history.

She suddenly was rushing to put away her book, and stood, offering a woman help with her groceries as she juggled a baby when the train stopped at the one of the many Narrows' station. The other woman, who looked a little bit older than King gave her suspicious glance, but warily allowed the younger woman to help her take her things to King's previous seat. Once she was settled, King smiled kindly, congratulated her on the newborn, and promptly sat across from him as if what she had done was the most normal thing in the world. The other woman barely said a curt thank you, but Ava King seemed satiated with just that. She went back to sketching, though this time she looked around the train, and from his angle, Bruce couldn't see what she was drawing.

Ava King then looked up to see him in front of her and smiled, her bright eyes kind and slightly nervous behind her glasses. Bruce, unbeknownst to Ava, smiled back, a gesture that seemed more like him baring his newly yellowed teeth at her. She did not recognized him because of his fake tangled beard that bore sliver hairs, and his rough, nondescript coat. He was glad to have this disguise handy, knowing that no one would connect his name with it. But the fact that the girl had smiled at him so readily confused him. Most of the good people of Gotham tended to grimace at you if anything, no matter how you looked. He felt his lips twitch slightly again. Maybe this meant that Gotham had hope after all.

Then again, Ava King had spent most of her adult life in Metropolis, he thought with a sudden scowl, maybe time away from Gotham had made her kinder.

He had no doubt that that could be the case. But there was a distinct possibility that Ava King was one of those rare people from this city that were good. It was a very small chance, but her action with the young mother had tipped the scales in her favor towards being hired... If only a little. It was then that the girl's phone rang, a curious ring-tone he thought, as Kansas' _Way Ward Son_ came on. King fumbled for her pocket, and took out a sleek, red phone that was almost ridiculously big, its bright-lit screen a flash of colors across her pale face as she put it carefully to her ear.

"Hello?"said King, tentatively, as if she was afraid.

Bruce took this opportunity to focus the microphone that he had discretely placed on the back of the girl's shirt when he had sat down. He was glad that after a certain amount of time the small disc would fall off on its own, and that he had thought to put it there in the first place...

"_Ava King __**where **__are you?_" asked a distinctively, deep male voice.

King sighed, her left foot rocking back and forth from her toes to the balls of her feet.

"Clark, you have to promise not to get mad."she said softly.

Bruce wondered why would Clark, her roommate since her freshman year at college, would get angry because of her current location.

"_Ava last time you said that you had nearly blown up the apartment trying to modify our toaster."_said Clark, a distinct sense of panic entering his calm voice.

"Well I didn't blow up the apartment, it was only a small, isolated explosion, and you love our toaster now."she said, a sense of wry humor, a small smile appearing on her lips unconsciously.

Bruce lifted a brow at that.

"_We both know that despite how amazing our toaster is, it has nothing to do with the fact that you have me worried... Where are you, I'll fly to get you home if I have too..._" Clark said it in a voice that rose with each word, and it seemed as if the man was on a verge of breakdown...

Close thought Bruce, protective to an almost extreme measure. That might prove to be a problem, if he chose to hire her and she chose to confide in the man if she were ever to discover him. If. If... Her roommate was just out of school as well, though, and even with his carrier choice, he wouldn't be able to talk with much standing...

"Gotham. I'm in Gotham Clark."King breathed, so softly even with the microphone Bruce had to struggle to hear it.

There was a brief, small second of silence, in which she cringed, expecting whatever reaction he would have.

"_I'm coming to get you, __**now**__._"he hissed, quietly, all the panic in his voice gone, leaving only a calm anger.

She flinched again, and sighed quietly. Her red brows furrowed, and she pursed her lips, her eyes flickering to the slender watch on her wrist.

"No your _not_. You have your interview tonight, in twenty minutes and two of us can't bomb the interview of a lifetime because of my stupidity. Get you're firm ass in a suit and get ready to get your dream job. I'm catching the first bus down to Metropolis as soon as I get to Wayne station."she hissed right back, sounding like a cat.

"_Ava-_"began Clark.

"Don't you Ava me, Clark. _Go_. At least make this crappy day better for me by landing the job."said King sharply, her voice breaking slightly.

There was silence on the other end, and for five seconds, Bruce thought that Clark had hung up.

"_Get home now... And be __**careful**__ for goodness sake Ava._"said Clark softly, a fond tone entering his voice.

She laughed softly, a small smile appearing on her lips again.

"Good luck."she said back, ending the call.

She returned her phone to her pocket gingerly, and her shoulders slump as if she had just fought a battle. To her, it most likely was thought Bruce Wayne as King looked up to watch the the city go by again. Her green eyes behind her glasses looked thoughtful, and slightly rueful. Her left hand played with one of the rings on her left hand and her right foot was vibrating again, and she looked almost... Vulnerable. Her shoulders were still slumped, pushed inwards and her face was set in expression that looked both too jaded and innocent to be on the face of a twenty-four year old woman. It was the type of expression of someone who had_ known_ pain. Ever slightly, the scale tipped slightly more in her favor, and through this little espionage Bruce Wayne thought that it was most likely this girl would get the job.

She seemed to be the only logical choice, and he found himself smiling at her from under his fake beard.

Ava King herself felt as if she was nearly a hundred. It had been one of the most stressful days of her life, and when the Gotham tracks finally ended at Wayne station, a few minutes later, she felt exhausted. When Mr. Fox had called to set up an interview last night, she had set it at noon without a second thought, and had slipped off to the bus station with her most professional clothes. It wasn't until she had passed Bludhaven had she registered how bad of idea this had been, and she had been terrified at the mere sight of Gotham as she had pulled in. The limo waiting for her had only served to scare the hell out of her, until Mr. Fox had come out to shake her hand and inform her that she could have stayed in Metropolis, and he would have flown to interview her. The rest had been easy and she had answered as many questions as she could on the way to Wayne tower.

And here she was waiting in line for her ticket back to Metropolis. She got it without incident, and when she boarded the bus later that night, Ava looked back to the night sky line in the city. As the bus began to move, she could have sworn she had seen a large, gliding figure streak across the rooftops.

* * *

**AN: I do not, in any shape or form own Batman Begins or the Dark Knight, that privilege goes to its respected directors, and DC publishing, as well as Warner Bros. **

**Note: I will be basing some of this on some the comics,(mainly year one, and any other mythos that I know from the comics), but not as much as I'd like simply on the bases that I don't read too much DC. Most of this will come directly from the modern movies, and maybe some of the older films (Michael Keaton), as well as some of the animated series. I'm not really sure how long this story will be, but it will probably be pretty lengthy.**

**This story just came to me while I was watching Batman Begins the other day, and Ava King sort of evolved in my head. She seems to set for staying here for a while... ****By the way, updating most likely will be _slow_, I have neither the time nor the will to write as much as I'd like, and for me to update so soon is a rarity. Just wanted to give you guys the heads up.**

**Thank you for reading, and please review(those who do, thank you as well)! **

**~Peace, **

**Moon Witch **


	3. Shift Happens

**Shift Happens**

_One Week Later..._

_ Her breathe was harsh, and she had to struggle to keep her giggles from escaping her mouth as she watched his jean clad legs pass by her, his voice loud as he paced and counted. Her fist was in her mouth, and across from her, bellow the opposite tarp, she could see Rachel's brown eyes peeking at her. They were bright and full of laughter as well. Rachel winked sloppily, her hand coming up to stifle her own laughter._

"_Ready or not here I come!"he called out._

_ She couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her, the tarp was pushed back, and Bruce revealed his wide, smiling face, his large blue eyes shinning with triumph. His wild brown hair went even wilder as he lunged for her, but she managed to dodge and run away. Rachel was eager to join her, slipping out from underneath the other tarp, and the older girl grabbed her hand to help her run away from the howling boy behind them._

"_That's not fair!"he screamed out._

_ Both girls only laughed, and separated when Bruce came scrambling after them. He ignored Rachel, the fastest of the three of them, and went straight for her. It only took him a few seconds to catch up to her five year old pace, and the thirteen year old snapped her up right around the waist, screaming with triumph. When she tried to scramble away, Bruce only held her tighter._

"_I got you, Vera."he whispered, grinning on her ear._

_**Vera. **_

_No, that's... That's wrong... I'm not... Not anymore... Ava... That's.._

_**Vera.**_

_That's not mine anymore!_

_**Vera.**_

_STOP SAYING IT!_

_**Vera...**_

_That's.. That's..._

"_I got you." whispered Bruce again._

_ But he didn't she thought, feeling his warm, thin arms slip away. She could hear his whispers still though, telling her lies and swearing that he had her with him. And she felt a heat, sheer pure heat on her flesh. She could hardly breathe, blood and smoke filled her lungs, and she coughed in violent spasms. She saw the Kings again, Neil crying out in agony as he pushed her away from the flames, a support beam of the crumbling building falling on him. Franny and Ava already consumed by the intense sparks, their charred bodies nothing but husks in the far corner of the room, clinging to each other. Neil's brown eyes were frantic as he watched her stare dumbly at him._

"_RUN. GET OUT OF HERE!"he screamed, falling silent as another beam fell on his head with a sickening crunch._

The young woman who called herself Ava King woke with a gasp and at the sound of Neil King's death blow. It was a sound that she had heard for nearly seven years, again and again. She looked at the world with perfect vision, Bruce's words swirling in her head, as well as Neil's. She stared at the wood of the top bunk of her bed above her, and flinched when she felt a calloused, warm hand touch softly on her wrist. She turned, ignoring the tears that leaked out of the corner of her eyes to see who was touching her, her breathe harsh and uneven. Clark Kent's deep blue eyes looked back at her, and he kneeled by her bed, his cupid bow lips set in a worried frown. She sighed in relief... She was safe.

"Dream?"he asked in a whisper, his cheek against her sheets.

She looked away, hating the traitorous tears that slipped down her cheeks.

"Nightmare."she replied hoarsely.

Without another word her Clark stood, moving her gently aside to lay next to her, ducking his head so as not to smack it on her top bunk. He, like always, was too big to fit into her twin/full bed, and he practically cradled her long frame in his strong, steel like arms.

"Your father?"he asked, saying the word like a curse.

She flinched, shuddering at the thought of him and shook her head.

"The Fire."she said back, moving her face into his neck.

His arms tighten around her then, and her curled into him. The strength of his embrace was firm, but to her it was as if Clark was handling her like thinly spun glass. She sure as hell felt like glass. He let her sob her heart out on his chest for a while, not saying a word, as he hummed tunelessly. It wasn't until an hour later that words came from him at all.

"Sophomore year of high school I finally got up the courage to ask Lana Lang to a date, and to my luck my budding laser eyes were based on emotions, especially arousal."he said suddenly.

Ava wrinkled her nose.

"Gross Clark."she said playfully, ignoring her slight hiccup.

When he gave her a pointed look, she pressed her lips tightly together.

"_So_ when she said yes and kissed me... I... I... Well, I accidentally burned off a cheerleader's skirt. That only made it ten times worse."he said with a chuckle, said chuckling vibrating in his broad chest.

She let out a large laugh at that, smothering her giggles in his neck.

"When I was ten, I played a prank on Alfred, Bruce's butler... He always kept the condensed milk on the top, and for some reason the Bruce, Rachel and me loved the stuff..."

"You still do, I mean, there's hell to pay if I you don't to get to drink all of the ones in the pantry."pointed out Clark with a dry chuckle.

She elbowed him hard in the stomach, ignoring the fact that she had just given her elbow a bruise and maybe, if she was lucky, tickled him slightly.

"Shut up. It was just before Bruce left for Stanford, and we were there to celebrate his and Rachel's graduation... I made a rig to be triggered by Alfred's weight alone, and drenched him with red paint. When Rachel and Bruce pointed out that they could reach it just fine, they got black and jade paint, respectively, the next day."she said smiling, remembering the goods things of her old life.

It was hard to remember them, she thought softly, reaching for one of Clark's hands and squeezing it as hard as she could. Clark usually was there to do so, it was odd she thought, how alike he was Rachel Dawes and Bruce Wayne, her childhood friend in her other life... He had Rachel's great sense of kindness, and justice. He had Bruce's stubbornness and warmth... And Clark had made her life less of a hell when they had met nearly seven years ago... He squeezed her hand back, and let her crawl off of him without a word when she tapped his arm.

"Thank you, she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

Clark got up as well, careful not to smash his head on her top bunk again, and reached over to the built in nightstand. He held up her thick glasses.

"Don't forget these."he said, and she snorted, taking them.

"You forgot your own."she said simply, waggling her brows at his glasses-less face.

Clark reached up to check his face, and sighed sharply.

"It's not like I need them."he said smartly, rolling his eyes as he took out his own frames from his breast pocket.

She rolled her own green eyes, and placed her own faux glasses firmly on her face.

"It's not like I need them."she said mimicked, knowing that neither of them really needed them.

She took that moment to look at him clearly as he picked up his suit case from her wooden floors. Clark Kent sure as hell looked different than he usually did, at least to her. His traditional jeans and plaid were replaced by a sharp, distinctively boring gray suit, and it looked odd on his large, muscular frame. His hair, already neat most of the time was gelled back, slick, and with his large glasses the whole thing made him look like a uber nerd... If nerds could be so large that is. The only splash of color in his whole boring look was his tie, which was a dull red.

"You look mighty dapper."she said solemnly, nodding slowly.

Clark gave her a flat look.

"Well, if I'm going to start super punching villains in the face, I might as well keep the identity Clark Kent as opposite and human as can be to the alien zooming around Metropolis. The glasses may magnify my hypnosis on some people, but I might run into someone like you."he said irritably, adjusting the seventies frames on his long nose.

"So most humans are huge nerds who flinch and cower at every sound?"she said, amused and vaguely offended by her alien friend's assumption.

"Ah... Well... Er.."he said, fumbling for an answer, blushing to the roots of his hair.

She laughed at his embarrassment, and patted his forearm.

"Don't sweat it Clark, most of us humans are irrational, fearful, and weak creatures. Physically, emotionally, morally, or mentally. Your image of a bumbling coward isn't so off the mark." she said with a shrug.

Clark's blue eyes pierced her from behind his frames.

"I'm not unstoppable or without weakness Ava."he said this firmly, giving a pointed look at the lead locket around her neck.

She glared at him.

"I will never use it on you."she said pointedly, clutching it.

He grabbed her hand gently, and opened her clenched fist with ease. His large thumb brushed against the small switch, and for a wild second Ava thought he was going to expose his one weakness.

"I pray you never have too."he said softly, his Kansas accent coming out loud and clear as he moved his hand away.

"I won't have too Smallville."she said back just as softly.

He snorted at her nickname, and headed towards the door, looking down at his wrist watch for a second.

"What ever you say Gotham. See you later, I'm off to work, unlike the vagrant who lives in my spare room." he said teasingly.

"Smallville get your ass to work."she snapped back, flinching slightly at his words.

He waved, and closed the door. Ava took that moment to remove her faux glasses, and flopped back on her bed, staring at the top bunk again. She had had to quiet her two jobs to finish the final leg of school work at the end of her and Clark's last semester, and had never gotten around getting a new one. Because of it she had been mooching off of Clark, who had refused to let her dip into her savings to pay her rent, on his insistence, since he, and quote, 'Dang it Ava, I won't run myself ragged like you do by working triple shifts and school work so quit your jobs!'. She had been jobless for a while, and the inactivity was evident in the jumble of wires and papers pasted all around, as well as the random pieces of electronics scattered around the floor, were she had worked on them off and on since her trip to Wayne International. It was with that thought that her cellphone rang, and Ava scrambled for it her brow furrowing at the private number.

"Hello?"she asked, perplexed.

"Hello Miss King, it's a pleasure to speak to you again."said the soft, soothing voice of one Lucius Fox.

Ava froze, feeling her heart jump to her throat. The fact that Lucius Fox was talking to her with her only in short-shorts and half-top somehow felt wrong, and she felt her cheeks burning in sheer embarrassment.

"Mr. Fox. Hello, I... What a pleasure to hear from you again."she said honestly, feeling her voice was an octave too high to be normal. She swallowed and forced herself to calm her breathing, a trick she had learned with yoga few years back.

"Well Miss King, I know this won't come to as a surprise, but I called to personally inform you-"started Mr. Fox.

_You didn't get the job, and that I wish you luck finding a job..._

"-and congratulated you on being hired by Wayne Enterprises, in the position of Applied Sciences." finished Mr. Fox

Ava stopped breathing altogether for five seconds, and then felt her breathe came back with a _whoosh._

"Excuse me?"she asked, breathless.

"Miss King, Welcome to Wayne International. I have also have called to inform you that suitable living arrangements have been made for you since you currently live in Metropolis. Its a relatively respectable complex in downtown, and the apartment though small, is only a few blocks away from Wayne Tower. Unless you have made your own arrangements for your own living space, we'll send over a mover's van to move anything you wish to the city."said Mr. Fox.

Ava felt as if the floor had fallen from beneath her, and her knees buckled before they all together collapsed. Wayne International had hired her. Wayne Enterprises had hired her. _WAYNE_ _INTERNATIONAL _HAD HIRED HER! She felt as if her face and body had gone numb and she held her modified cellphone to her ear out of sheer reflex. She stared unseeingly towards her wooden floor.

"Miss King?"

Ava took a steadying, deep breathe. Mr. Fox's voice made her snap slightly out of her shocked state.

"I'm sorry Mr. Fox, it's just that I think you might have given me a great shock. I'm trying to take in the fact that I was hired... With an apartment already selected for me?"she said, her voice the very color of disbelief.

She heard the older man chuckle deeply into the phone, and she felt a flash of heat to her numb face.

"Understandable Miss King, I was the same when Wayne Enterprises had hired _me_. But, I assure you that come next week or two you'll be perfectly settled. Is tomorrow acceptable for the moving van to come in?"he asked politely.

"So soon?"she asked, feeling a sense of panic enter deep in her gut.

"I wish for you to start working her as soon as possible Miss King, and hope for you to come into your first day of work on Monday."

Today was Wednesday thought Ava quickly, glancing at her watch to confirm this. That meant that Mr. Fox wished for her to be settled and ready for work in_ four_ days. She had four days to uproot her life and go to live in Gotham, a city she had sworn a week ago to never within a hundred miles.

_I am fucking insane. Utterly a lunatic. Completely and without a doubt psychotic. _

"Yes... Yes of course Mr. Fox. I'll come into work on Monday, of course... I half to wonder how the apartment has been bought for my personal use though?"she asked causally.

_Psycho_.

"It's all yours Miss King, the payment of the apartment will be taken away from your paycheck. All you have to do is sign the papers to make it yours... Any other questions?"

_Know a good shrink?_

"No sir... Tomorrow will be perfect for the van, I'm glad you called me this early to give me time to pack... Six is perfect for the van, thank you. I look forward of working for you."

"I look forward to working _with_ you Miss King. Have a pleasant day."said one Lucius Fox, hanging up.

Ava wondered as she stood up quickly, rushing towards the bathroom she shared with Clark, throwing up last night's dinner, what the hell she had done.

**000000000000000**

When Clark Kent came home around three pm for a late lunch, he found Ava carefully collapsing her full/twin bed, the mattress of the bottom, and of the thinner one of the top, he found himself concerned. When he looked around to see that most of her started projects were nowhere to be found on the ground, and that her tool box was sitting on top of a stack of boxes that weren't there when he had left, he felt downright scared. The new, red suitcases on next to the boxes only confirmed his fear.

"They gave you the job, didn't they?"he asked, watching as she expertly undid the last of the screws, and helped her with the heavy wood easily.

She nodded stiffly, not looking at him, moving around the room to see if she had missed anything. He sighed. Clark considered himself to be a fair, nonjudgmental man, but seeing his friend going to the one place she had escaped when she was so young made him wonder if he could support her decision.

"Ava, do you think... Do you think Bruce, Rachel, Alfred or even... Even your father saw and recognized you? That this is a trap? I mean, he is a partial share holder in Wayne?" he asked, furious of the very thought of the last man seeing his friend.

"I didn't even see any of them Clark... And trust me, I _looked."_she said softly.

He paused for a moment.

"Do you have to go? I mean, you could look for a job at Luthor Corp instead, and you can stay in Metropolis..."he said, hoping beyond hope that she would accept.

She laughed, if a little bitterly.

"Clark Kent, if anything you should know that Luthor Corp and Wayne Enterprises have been enemies since day one, and if anything, I'm loyal to Wayne because of Bruce."she said with another laugh.

He sighed, and did not laugh at her attempt at humor. Her laughter faded after a moment, and she finally looked at him with her large, green eyes. They were puffy he thought ruefully, she had been crying again.

"Clark... I want to be in my city, you have no idea how happy I was being in Gotham again. It was... Getting this job is the best thing that has happened to me since I met you."she said, going over to squeeze his hand as tightly as she could.

"You'll go even if I tie you to the top of the Daily Planet, won't you?"he asked, chuckling weakly at his own attempt at humor.

She smiled in response, and he closed his hand over her's. They didn't say anything for a while.

"Shift happens."she said softly.

Clark burst out into loud, uncontrollable laughter, Ava giggling into his side were she leaned against him.

"Yeah, shift does happen."he said after a moment, letting his chuckles subside as Ava's died.

"Pesky Paradigm."she said simply, if a little sadly.

Clark couldn't help but agree.


	4. Dead End

"**Dead End"**

_Monday_

The life altering move from Metropolis to Gotham, unlike the one nearly seven years ago was relatively quick, painless and smooth. The moving truck had arrived and taken all of her packed items,(mostly courtesy of her super fast packing alien roommate). The only hitch had been deciding between herself and Clark who would get what appliance, as they had both either split the bill on buying it, or she had modified it so much that she had practically made it from scratch.

They had both deiced, after wrestling for ownership of the toaster, with Clark pinning her to the ceiling of all things while floating, that they would simply be adults about the whole thing. So they had flipped a coin on every item that was in question. She hadn't won the toaster much to her dismay.

The unpacking, as of yet was still going on, and boxes littered the floor of nearly every room in the apartment, but at the moment Ava King was not in the mood to deal with of the that, and so she leaned against the wall of her apartment near the door. Perched on the edge of the balcony, she stared at the dawn light just peeking over the glass and stone giants of the Gotham skyline. Her large hoody(who she thought must have been Clark's) protected her from most of the brisk wind that Gotham was prone to have this time of year, and she watched with glassless eyes as the sun rose higher and higher, knowing that it was a rarity in itself for her to ever see the sunrise, since she was such a night owl regularly.

The apartment itself was something she had been pleasantly surprised with. When it came to the name Wayne, Ava had learned early on that it meant extravagance, but true to Lucius Fox's words, the apartment was small, but modern. It was not a penthouse suite, but it was just the right size for her. It had two bedrooms, a combination kitchen and living room, and a bathroom. The smallest bedroom housed her actual bed, but the largest, which was almost as big as the rest of the apartment was going to be her office and workshop.

Out of all the rooms it was the one that was the most unpacked, and her bookshelves that doubled as counters were packed, which she had crammed into her bedroom in Metropolis, were spread out beautifully with the large desk she had allowed herself to spurge on her junior year of college. Her current projects were even unpacked, and Ava found it slightly hilarious that she was sleeping on her mattress while her Techie junk was out and ready to play. She knew her priorities were set perfectly.

She sighed slightly, and with nothing better to do she found herself doing her usual yoga routine, which she had the habit of doing in the early hours of the morning when she had deemed to not fall asleep just yet. Despite all of her initial teasing, she had been glad to pick up yoga from Clark, who swore by it. She couldn't exactly do all of the mind bending and back braking positions that her super powered best friend could pull off, but she pushed her body as much as she could in every stretch, and she felt a sort of relaxation that set her at ease. She did this for a solid hour or so, enjoying the pull on her muscles, but not really enjoying the sweat that came from doing yoga for long periods of time.

"Now that's something I don't see every day."said a voice, making Ava shoot straight up from her downward dog position. She winced slightly when her back cracked.

She turned toward the voice with a wary, but quick turn, faintly flushing at the fact that she had been practically shoving her ass in someone's face. She only flushed harder when she saw that the person on the balcony to her right was man, and a handsome man at that. Her only mercy was that she was already flushed from the yoga and that her blush was hardly visible. He was smiling with a faint look of bemusement, a newspaper and mug of coffee in hand. It looked like someone was an early bird.

" 'Morning?"she said, in way that sounded like a question.

When the man blinked, his smile growing wider, it occurred to Ava that she wasn't wearing her faux glasses. _Dang._

"Morning, I'm assuming you're my new neighbor."he said, leaning towards her on his balcony ledge.

"And I'm assuming your mine."she quipped back, tilting her brow, leaning against her own balcony.

He raised his own brow, his lips tugging into another, easy smile. _He sure likes to do that._..

"No, I just broken in this apartment to steal the guy's newspaper and coffee. Its what I do."he said seriously.

She chuckled when he did, and she gave him a smile of her own. His own smile actually grew when she did. She found it faintly disconnecting to see someone smile so much, but found it oddly refreshing. When her watch beeped a second later, she swore, and looked back over her shoulder.

"Something wrong?"asked her neighbor.

She shook her head.

"Project. If I don't go now I might blow up my apartment, and maybe yours. Excuse me, it was nice to meet you."she said, rushed, barely registering his own bemused farewell and rushed towards her office.

While she hadn't been joking of accidentally blowing up her apartment, and she quickly cooled down the nearly over heated circuit. It was a delicate process, and she was amused to see that the toaster that Clark had given her to try(and failed) to give her as a replacement for the one she had modified to perfection was not up to par... Ava stayed tinkering around her various projects, humming and dancing slightly as she was unfortunately prone to do when she worked. She did this for a while, the time blurring until her watch beeped again. Seven, she thought as she made a quick glance bellow. She swore quietly, and closed her tool box, fumbling to get up and put away her projects to a somewhat organized state.

She ran for her bathroom connecting the room(the actual master bedroom) and her bedroom, and tripped in the process over some old sketchbooks. After a minute of swearing loudly like a drunken sailor and clutching at her big toe, Ava calmly walked to the bathroom. She turned on the shower and took a quick, but through one to get all the grime of yesterday and her yoga cession. When she was out, she quickly got dressed and only really had trouble when she hopped into her tights, when she fell over, nearly breaking her neck as she avoided hitting the sink counter.

She only really slowed down when she dried her hair, her only vanity point, and left it down struggling to reach the back of her waist length hair when she brushed it. She was quick to dab concealer and foundation on her face, to take away the deep bags underneath her eyes. She wondered if she should do more... After agonizing for a second, she left her appearance as it was, and checked her watch.

She had time she thought happily.

She got a quick breakfast, chugged down her searing coffee and regretting the burned tongue immediately. Her taste buds would be funny for days... After lamenting her taste buds for a whole two minutes, and brushing her teeth while she was at it, Ava gathered up her tote bag. She pinned her Wayne Enterprise badge to her blouse, adjusted both her skirt and scarf, and was flustered if she should wear her heals or sneakers, chickened out and put her only heals on.

She towered over the boxes of her stuff, and not for the first time she cursed her height. She felt like a giant, a grumbled about genetics as she checked her watch and sighed with relief. She still had time, and she left her apartment confident that she was going to make it in time. Her headphones were in and she bobbed her head up and down, her hand slapping against her thigh to the beat of the music as per reflex.

"Have a good day neighbor!"called out her, well, neighbor, chuckling as he locked up his own apartment. She was lucky to have heard him, and bobbed her head at him.

A grin speared across her face and she called out for him to have the same as she went in the opposite direction, heading for the stairs. The twenty floors she needed to get through were relatively easy to do(it was going down of course), and she was hardly out of breathe as she kept a quick gait to the garage, going to the stairs that lead to the fourth level of the basement were the residents of this building kept their cars.

She admired some of the models scattered around the upper levels, and made mental adjustments, wishing she had the time to sketch it out. Her memory was good, but she just knew she would forget some of the better details she came up with... She waved to the parking lot guy on her level when she got there. He just glared, his eyes narrowing as if he expected her to steel a hubcap or something. She found her bike soon enough, still in the same place she had reluctantly placed it in. The gorgeous, sleek thing that she had both sweated, cried and bleed over glittered faintly in the dull light, and its crimson hue made her smile.

"Good morning babe."she said happily, patting said babe happily on her leather seat.

She mounted it and slipped on her helmet(after placing her tote back into her small truck), grinning like a loon, and she was off. The streets of early downtown Gotham were full of early commuters, and she weaved though the little traffic in this area with difficulty. She narrowly missed a few cars, and only managed to not kill herself by pushing off with her foot off a mail box, just barely managing not to lose her pump by a small margin:She thanked God that she had been going slowly at that point or she might have broken her leg. She earned quite a few honks and swears out of driver's windows as she zoomed by, breaking a lot of traffic laws, she knew. She tried not to think of the nerves she had mounting in her stomach and threatening to show off her blueberry muffin breakfast, or the fact that her hair would looked like a rat's nest by the time she made it to Wayne Tower. At the moment, it was just her and the road, and despite her soar foot, Ava could be happy with that.

**000000**

Bruce Wayne, if anything, was a careful man. He had become so as soon as he began to run across Gotham's rooftops and beating the snot out of its various criminals. When Lucius Fox had proposed to unmerge Applied Sciences and Archives, and hire someone to oversee the former, he had not been very open to the idea. Who ever had a position in that division would have access to all of his equipment, and would have quite enough information to make the connection between himself and the Batman. He couldn't remove the items, for that would only make it more incriminating for the people like Lucius that remembered the items(namely the tumbler), nor could he seal the records for the same reasons. However, when Lucius said quite plainly that couldn't leave all those files and prototypes unprotected in risk that they would be found by someone else in the company. Plus, who would make his toys in a way that the wouldn't be suspicious?

He still hadn't been very happy with the idea, but had accepted Lucius' wisdom. After he told him he had final say in the employment of course... Somewhere in the back of Bruce's mind, he wondered why he had chosen Ava King. She was competent enough according to her resume,but by no means was she a the genius that Lucius was. She was isolated factor and new to the city after so many years, and that meant she was not as up to date with his night time activities, but she did have connection to the media, via her sister(though he didn't think she would really go to her sister), and former roommate. She was both perfect and a dangerous to his operation, and he wondered if she would find him out.

She didn't seem stupid, so that could be bad, but she did seem fairly naïve. Perhaps he could use that to his advantage? Bruce's thoughts were interrupted by the loud purr of an engine, and he looked up from his hiding place, fully expecting Ava King to come in whatever vehicle that she had told Lucius that she needed a spot for. The garage underneath Wayne Tower was all in a grid system that he had learned quickly to keep track of all of his employes who didn't take the subway, and when she had asked for spot, he couldn't help but wonder what his newest employ drove. You could tell a lot about a person through what they wore and what they drove, he had learned. He guessed some sort of small car, like a bug. It would fit...

His brows raised as he saw her pull up, with some grace, her high heels of all things, slamming against the asphalt as she parked, flipping the stand of her motorcycle with the practiced ease of someone who rode often. She had hidden danger loving side... How unexpected. He added that mentally to the list of traits only person in the dark that would be close to his secrets. The girl took off her helmet, shaking out her long copper hair, and then moaned. Her hands coming up to smooth down the mess that the wind had brought to her bright locks. He vaguely wondered what her expression was, and frowned at the fact that she had her back to him. He hadn't expected the bike, and hence the miscalculation of his position.

"Fudgy Fuck..."she muttered, moving to take off her large coat once her hair looked more or less presentable. Bruce's brows rose higher at her colorful language.

Underneath she wore a pencil skirt, which she was quick adjust it where it had ridden up, as well as the rest of clothing. He noted that she dressed nicely, but with clothes that were not as expensive as they looked, but still not gutter cheap. Her appearance was strangely neat in its slight messiness, but he noticed that she dressed to blend in with what she expected Wayne to be, for on the train she had quickly shed her office finery fairly quickly. She removed the keys from the ignition with a practiced twist and opened up the small trunk at the back of her bike, and took out the same cheap tote she had brought for her interview, and placed her helmet back in its place.

"See ya later babe."she said softly, patting her fine leather seat with a reverence most would save for a beloved pet, or a new born. She took out her glasses from her tote bag, her back still to him, and put them on.

She walked in a quick, nervous manner, as if she couldn't move fast enough. Bruce raised his brow, and quickly followed. He also noted that she had a slight limp, and he wondered what had hurt her right leg. When the girl ignored the elevator and went straight for the stairs, he found himself smirking. Stalking her on the first day would be easier than he thought. He silently cursed the young woman, simply because he knew he had to take the time to keep an eye on her. She was a new factor, and if anything, Bruce made sure to know the factors through and through. It was simply a matter of principal, if anything. And the way that people acted when they were in a stressful situation, were key looks into their character.

It seemed, just as he had seen in the interview, Miss King was a nervous person, and if anything, high strung. At the last flight, leading to the lobby, she stopped. Staring at the doors, her hand clenching tightly on her bag strap. He wished to see her expression in that brief moment.

"What the hell am I doing? "she whispered, startling Bruce as she abruptly turned around, heading back to the stairs. He cursed internally, back tracking to make sure that she wouldn't see him.

She stopped with her long leg posed in the air to go down to the next step. Slowly, it went down, her foot settling next to its twin. Her face looked pained behind her large frames, and when she crouched down, her head coming to rest on her knees, Bruce felt alarms going off in his head. Was she really that nervous of a person? He heard her take deep, breathes. She stayed like that for a singular, long moment, and then her watch beeped. Her head snapped up, and she looked down at the watch on her wrist. Her expression shifted then, a sort of wistful twist appeared on her lips, and her eyes looked misty. She stood then, straight and tall, her heels adding to her height, and if he had been standing next to her they would have been roughly the same height. She then turned straight around and ran for the doors. She paused for a single second.

"Okay... Okay..."she said softly, and then she opened the doors.

**000000000000000**

"Good Morning Miss King."greeted Lucius, a smile on his face.

Ava King nearly bolted back down the stairs that lead to the garage. Instead, she smiled back. The glittering old marble that had graced her childhood was a comforting sight, and she breathed a little easier by looking at it. Not by much though. Lucius Fox stood tall and relaxed, his bow-tie a bright red today, a manila folder in his arms. She noticed with some amusement that the various people in the lobby kept glancing at the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, and her by proxy as he walked up to her and shook her hand. She tried to give as firm as a handshake back to him.

"Mr. Fox, Good Morning."she said as pleasantly as she could. Her blueberry muffin turning in her stomach made it fairly hard to do that.

"If you'll follow me."he said pleasantly with a large flourish towards the elevators.

Ava winced, but quickly followed suit. Once inside, alone she noted, her new employer smiled again. The elevator took a lurch downwards, and she watched as they passed by the basements one by one.

"Basement levels nine to ten are Applied Sciences, nine is your testing fatalities and labs for any of the larger projects, and ten is your primary lab, and archives for any of the prototypes already made will stay there. Levels one to eight are free range in case you need anything that you cannot fine in the last two."he started, and Ava felt herself stand straighter at his tone.

When he looked expectantly at her, she nodded firmly.

"Your employ I.D. will double as a access to both level nine and ten... You will not, under any circumstances to allow anyone other myself, or Mister Wayne within these levels, nor move anything from them. If anyone wants any information from either level nine or ten, though, run it by one of us. We'll give you the green light or red light."he said sternly.

"No exceptions."she said back, nodding again.

"You will work on projects I myself give you, but you may work on your own as well with our facilities, and you will maintain and the archives of all of our prototypes."he said, and they reached level nine. But the doors didn't open, and Ava looked worriedly at Mr. Fox.

"Your contract must be signed in here I'm afraid, access to these levels aren't granted just yet. I'll give you a personal tour myself as soon as you sign. In one to eight the employes there will show you around when the time comes."he said smiling.

"Of Course Mr. Fox."she said with a smile.

He handed her both the folder and a expensive fountain pen. She looked through the contract quickly, not really thinking this through... With a snort and a devil may cry attitude, she quickly signed and handed back the contract to her smiling employer.

"Welcome to Wayne Enterprises Miss King. And welcome to Applied Sciences."he said with a grin.

The tour was made with some haste, Mr. Fox had a company to run of course, but she was no by no means any less giddy as she went through level nine. He explained this space was more of a testing facility, used mostly to test the vehicles and to make them(the thought made Ava nearly laugh out in hysterical joy). It was a wide, open space that had white walls and made her gaze around in pure joy. If her new boss hadn't been next to her, she would have started dancing around like a loon. Hell, even with him there she was half tempted to do it anyway. After a few more minutes of drooling at thinking how many wheelies she could pull off in the space, she was taken back to the elevator and they descended to level ten. They second they stepped in, Ava stared at the difference from the pristine white facility.

It was messy, cluttered at its lighting was really the only thing decent about it. The room was large, most likely extending the width of all of the Wayne Tower, and it made her gap. It looked as if it had been cleaned recently, and dozens of cabinets were set up like library shelves, and she could guess that they were filled with prototypes. A small, glowing blue pad was embedded in the nearest cabinet. The cabinets took up most of the impossible space, and one area right in front of her was cleared, obviously for her use, as a large work bench and tools laid neatly out. A fairly expensive computer was on another desk in the center of the work area, and it was on, the Wayne Enterprises logo bright and clear.

"I have made some personal alterations for your use Miss King."said Mr. Fox, smiling, no doubt at her reaction.

"Thank you."she said, almost so softly that even she couldn't hear it.

"I guess all I can tell you to do today is to get yourself comfortable and started. The computer will tell you of any projects you can start on, and which prototypes need repair. Your password is the name of your college roommate."he said.

She swallowed. This was all her's, all in the palm of her hands... It was an incredible feeling to have all of this in front of her, and the fact that her childhood friend(from her other life) was probably only a few hundred floors up made the tense feeling in her stomach ease. Mr. Fox shock her hand then, obviously leaving and she told him a soft good bye. He got to the elevators, and he stood inside them, when the doors started to close, his weathered hand caught them. His eyes sparkled bright, and his smile was back in place.

"Now Miss King, I want to tell you something before I leave. When I was sent down here, over twenty years ago, the then CEO told me Applied Sciences was one thing... A dead end. I don't believe that was quite true now."he said, and he let the elevator doors close.

Ava stared, and before she knew what she was doing, she walked calmly to the desk at the center of her work space. She typed in Clark's name, her fingertips trembling slightly. Somehow, she couldn't get the wide grin straining her facial muscles to stop.

* * *

**AN: I do not, in any shape or or form own Batman Begins, or any of its characters, nor do I own anything else pertaining to the DC universe. It all belongs to Warner Bros, and its various publishers. This is just me going crazy with its characters and places.**

**I kinda hate that I haven't made Ava and Bruce share any time where they're both aware of the other person being there.*Cough cough, creepy stalker Bruce.* Anyway, if you're all wondering, Ava was Bruce's childhood friend(I KNOW THAT SOUNDS SO MARY SUE THAT ITS KILLING ME), and Ava King is not her real name, and she isn't the same age as Ava would have been. Just thought to clear that up... Um... I'm going to do my damnedest to keep Ava from becoming a Mary Sue. Anyway, I also want to say that the plot will be a little slow and intertwined with whatever happens in the Dark Knight... Thank you for reading, and if you review, for that as well!**

**~Peace,**

**Moon Witch**

**P.S. What do you guys like about this? Is Ava Mary-Suey? Ugh, I really want to avoid that...**


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